11 NOVEMBER 2026 | SEND TO A FRIEND
EXCLUSIVE FIRST LOOK AT THE PHOTOGRAPHY FROM THE DECEMBER ISSUE
Capturing spiritual movement in Bhutan
German photographer Florian Kriechbaumer spent several days in the town of Paro in western Bhutan shooting one of the country’s annual religious festivals. It honoured Guru Rinpoche, the ‘Second Buddha’, through sacred dances, costumes and music that conveyed Buddhist teachings. The events of the first day took place inside the courtyard of Rinpung Dzong monastery and Florian arrived early to secure a good spot. “After spending almost the whole day watching the performances, this photo was taken during one of the final rituals,” he says. “I wanted to capture the intricate architecture, colourful costumes and the families surrounding the performance in one frame.”
New book Trope Miami showcases the Florida city, from its distinctive architecture to its beach life
Fifteen photographers contributed 209 images to Trope Miami, the latest addition to the Trope City Edition series, which provides a visual perspective of the world’s best-loved cities. The hardback book reveals the quirks of life in Miami in six distinct chapters, from ‘Art & Color’ to ‘After Dark’. Among the collection are images of brightly painted lifeguard stations and the historic art deco buildings of Ocean Drive in the city’s South Beach neighbourhood. £46.
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RIDING WITH ARGENTINIA’S GAUCHOS
“I spent a week photographing the Estancia Los Potreros cattle ranch, capturing a glimpse of a traditional way of life in rural Argentina. The gauchos manage their herds on horseback, driving them across the surrounding pampas grasslands. As the end of the season approaches, they bring them into a corral for routine health checks and vaccinations ahead of the winter months.”
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS 2026
The Natural History Museum in London reveals the winning images in its 62nd awards, on display until July 2027.
📍Huab River Valley, Namibia 📷 Nikon Z8; f2.8; 1/1000; ISO 72
Photographer Federico Veronesi was tracking elephants in Namibia when he came across an unusual pattern of drag marks in the sand in a dry riverbed. When he caught up with a family group, the source became clear: a female carrying her dead calf. Called ‘The Aftermath’, the image he captured of this unusual behaviour saw him named overall winner of Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026.
📍Surrey, England 📷 Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max; f2.2; 1/895; ISO 40
Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year
— 10 Years and Under
Amelie Davis had been taking photographs of bees for several months. On this August afternoon, the garden was ‘teeming with bees’. Without her camera, Amelie borrowed her dad’s smartphone and was able to record the delicate detail of a single wingbeat.
Bees perceive plants and flowers in many ways. Distinguishing one colour for nectar and another for pollen helps them make rapid decisions when foraging. Their vision is tuned to blue, green and ultraviolet wavelengths, so they can see markings that are invisible to us.
📍Pieria, Greece 📷Nikon D810; f20; 8.0 sec; ISO 400
Category winner: Plants and Fungi
On the lower slopes of Greece’s Mount Olympus, Agorastos Papatsanis experimented with ultraviolet (UV) illumination until it revealed the strongest fluorescent response from these mushrooms known as ‘beautiful bonnets’.
While humans can’t see UV light, we can get an inkling of its effect, thanks to the phenomenon of fluorescence. Mycologists are harnessing this phenomenon to distinguish closely related species of fungi by the colours and patterns they reveal under UV.
📍California, USA 📷Nikon D850; f18; 1/100; ISO 400
Category winner: Behaviour
— Amphibians and Reptiles
Anton Sorokin hadn’t seen this pose before, despite documenting newt behaviour each winter. The pond was too dirty to swim in, so the American photographer waded along the edge, carefully dipping his camera and lighting beneath the surface to record this remarkable view of parental care.
California newts interlock their back feet to protect the clutch, which are vulnerable to predation by other newts. They’ll stay like this until the gelatinous mass around the eggs has swollen to a size that’s too large to be eaten and has solidified onto the stem.
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